Construction 4.0 and the UK's small and medium scale construction companies

The advancement and application of digital technology solutions are significant approaches to improving productivity in the construction industry. While there are existing studies on digital adoption in construction overall, there is a lack of emphasis on the usage levels for specific technologies and the distinct barriers and opportunities SMEs encounter. This paper aims to identify the Construction 4.0 enabling technologies used by Small and Medium Construction (SMEs) firms in the UK and their usage levels. The methodology adopted is a mixed-method research approach using interviews and questionnaire surveys. This research suggests that the top five construction 4.0 enabling technologies used by small and medium-scale construction companies in the UK are Cloud computing, BIM, Common data environment, Big data analytics and offsite manufacturing. The findings also show that a significant percentage of industry practitioners in SMEs in the UK have never used actuators, eye-tracking devices, Digital Twin, mixed reality, or Cobots. The results show that the fundamental benefits associated with using these technologies include enhanced productivity and innovation. However, the fundamental challenges include cost and low investment in research and experience.